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Theresa May’s future as Prime Minister was saved by four Labour MPs on Tuesday as she avoided a critical Commons defeat on Brexit by the narrowest of margins.

Twelve Remain-supporting Tory rebels defied their party by voting with Labour as they tried to force the Government to seek a customs union with the EU.

Conservative whips had warned their MPs that if Mrs May lost the knife-edge vote her authority would have been so badly undermined that it would trigger a general election.

The mutineers refused to budge, reportedly telling the whips to “sod off”, but the Government won with a majority of 307-301, thanks to four Labour Brexiteers who defied their own whip. Had they obeyed Jeremy Corbyn,...